A4 Study Now Underway

The AP (6/10, Neergaard) reports that yesterday, the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) Study got underway “to see if an experimental” medication called solanezumab “can protect healthy seniors whose brains harbor silent signs that they’re at risk.” This “$140 million study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, [Eli] Lilly and others, will track if participants’ memory and amyloid levels change over three years.” The study will require about 1,000 participants. Volunteers will undergo cognitive testing, brain scans, and psychological assessments. Speaking about the study, Dr. Laurie Ryan, of the National Institute on Aging, said, “It is breaking new ground.”